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Hannibal's stunning victories in Italy. He defeats the Romans at the Battle of Trebia in late December 218 BC (1–2). Disease costs him the use of his right eye, but he still manages to direct the ambush at Lake Trasimene in late June 217 BC (3). Hannibal annihilates two consular armies at the Battle of Cannae on 2 August 216 BC (4).

(1) cōnflīxerat and pepulerat: pluperfects expressing action completed before the crossing of the Alps in 3.4. Having told the story of Hannibal's march from Hispania to Italy in Chapter 3, this chapter will focus on his battles in Italy.

apud Rhodanum: "near the Rhône," a major river in southwest Gaul that flows into the Mediterranean near Marseilles. Not to be confused with the Island of Rhodes, Rhodus –ī f. Nepos exaggerates the scope of this battle, the first clash of the war between Roman and Carthaginian forces. It was, at most, a confused skirmish between small detachments of cavalry fought soon after Hannibal’s forces crossed the Rhône, and before the arrival of Scipio’s main force. After the skirmish, the bulk of Scipio’s force continued towards Hispania; Hannibal moved north towards the Alps.

apud: with a place name, apud always means "near"; it never means "in" (AG §428d).

cum P. Cornēliō Scīpiōne cõnsule: Publius Cornelius Scipio Asina was consul in 218 BC. He would die in Hispania in 211 BC while fighting Hannibal’s brother, Hasdrubal. His son, Scipio Africanus, would defeat Hannibal at the decisive Battle of Zama in 202 BC.

hōc eōdem: i.e., Publius Cornelius Scipio Asina.

Clastidī: locative. Clastidium was a fortified town in Gallia Cispadana near the Po River (apud Padum). Captured from the Gauls in 222 BC, the town served as an important supply base for the Romans.

inde ac: "and then, and thereafter"; Nepos is careful to clarify that Scipio was wounded first and then retreated. Nepos' description is more appropriate for the Battle of Ticinus, a cavalry skirmish in late November or early December.

(2) tertiō: "for the third time"; Nepos refers to the Battle of Trebia, a small river that flows into the Po River near Genoa.

cum collēgā Tiberiō Longō: after Scipio was wounded at Ticinus, his co-consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus was recalled to confront Hannibal. He had recently taken Malta from the Carthaginians in preparation for the planned invasion of Africa.

C. Flāminium...circumventum occīdit, neque multō post C. Centēnium...occupantem: Nepos deploys two parallel participial phrases to describe two Roman defeats. Each phrase is introduced by the name of the defeated Roman leader and concludes with a participle that agrees with the leader; other information about the battle is enclosed within the participle phrase [color-coded schematic of sentence structure].

C. Flāminium cōnsulem: after he was re-elected consul, Gaius Flaminius Nepos raised four new legions and marched north to meet Hannibal. As censor in 221/220 BC Flaminius oversaw the construction of the Circus Flaminius in Rome and the Via Flaminia, which connected Rome with Ariminum on the Adriatic coast.

duo cōnsulēs: Gaius Terentius Varro and Lucius Aemilius Paulus, allies of the Scipios, had campaigned for the consulship as staunch critics of Fabius Maximus’ strategy of avoiding direct action against Hannibal (see 5.1). Despite his role in the defeat at Cannae, Varro continued to hold important military positions. Lucius Aemilius Paulus was killed at Cannae; his daughter, Aemilia Tertia, married Scipio Africanus. [image: Trumble, Death of Aemilius Paulus]

Cn. Servīlium Geminum: consul of 217 BC; after the disaster at Trasimene, Gnaeus Servilius Geminus led the fleet tasked with coastal defense of Italy and harassing raids against Carthaginian territory in north Africa.

superiōre annō: "in the previous year." The other consul from the previous year also fell in the battle, as did 2 quaestors, 29 of the 48 military tribunes, 80 Roman senators, and a multitude of wealthy men who served in the cavalry. Again we find Nepos consciously avoiding a detailed account of military events. Even so, this is a surprisingly brief statement about the Battle of Cannae, the worst defeat suffered by Rome during the Second Punic War—and Hannibal’s greatest triumph.